Float The Witch

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a trailblazing new band who go by the name of Float The Witch. The quartet are an alternative rock group from New Jersey and they are sure to cause a storm.

Their music holds a bizarre despotism over all who listen, it is almost as if Float The Witch are casting a be-witching spell upon all who listen. Even the sound and tone, created by band members, Ben, Brian and Anthony, is outstanding, but, without lead vocalist Carmelina, Float The Witch would be missing the crucial ingredient of which can single-handedly 'make or break' the end product.

I recently listened to their latest EP and it is preposterously fantastic. Each word and note is truly felt during the amazing journey of that the listener experiences, if you haven't heard them before, it's a must before the year is out.

Listen to their track, The Abyss Gazes Black, from their new EP, Float The Witch:

After listening and finding out about the band, I needed to know more about them, so I decided to grab an interview and here is what they had to say!

I'll start off by asking about your latest EP 'Float the Witch', How has the response been so far and how pleased are you all with the end product?

Well, actually it is our very first release! So far the response has been very positive, but as always the hardest part is actually getting people to listen to your music. In this day and age with the social networking explosion it is easier than ever, in a way, to get your name out there, so in turn it is incredibly important to stand out from the crowd. Having said that, the EP definitely does reflect the elements that make us unique, such as blending different styles of music, strong female vocals, and using different languages. So therefore we are happy with the end product, but we know how much more we have to offer, so in that respect we can’t wait to make another album for everyone to hear!

Your sound makes me want to go to a late summer night at a festival in the country, are festivals on the cards for you?

That’s awesome to hear! We have never played a festival but the idea of doing that is very enticing. Things have been moving along nicely for us, so by the time summer rolls around we’ll see!

What inspires you when writing tracks such as The Abyss Gazes Black and Hold me Down?

Lyrically, I draw inspiration from art, nature, and my own personal life experiences. For example, the lyrics for The Abyss Gazes Black were inspired by the art of the 19th century Romantic painter David Casper Friedrich. In its initial stages when the song was still taking shape, as soon as I listened to the guitar riff, I was instantly transported to one of Friederich’s paintings. It definitely has a dark and esoteric feel to it. The tribal drums and bass effects also give it an otherworldly feel. I hope that answers your question!

Tell us a bit more about yourselves, who inspires you all personally?

Well, we are all native to New Jersey USA, and we are brought together by the desire to create unusual soundscapes, grooves, and riffs under the “umbrella” of rock music.

Ben – horror/ scifi movies, the weather, my life, and all different types of music from new-wave to classical to death/ black metal

Carmy- My own life experiences as well as those of others, my love of art, mythology and music.

At what age did you become interested music, did your parents play a big role in that?

Ant - I became interested in music around age 12. Believe it or not, the movie “That Thing You Do” did it for me. I also saw an old Buddy Rich solo on TV that made my jaw drop and made me want to play drums.

Ben – When I was growing up my dad played some guitar. But my first instrument was drums. I was that kid with a “drum kit” made out of buckets and cans, until I saved up to buy my first kit when I was about 14. I started messing around on guitar around that time, but didn’t take it seriously until I was 19.

Carmelina – My mother definitely helped foster my love for rock music. She would play classic 70’s rock since I can remember ( bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Santana and Janis Joplin.)

As far as singing goes, I realized I could sing around the age of 8. As silly as it sounds, it was at my high school talent show that I knew I wanted to keep performing in front of an audience and feel that connection with the crowd. It really is such an amazing feeling!

Brian - I’ve always been interested in music. My mother played music to me while I was in the womb. She’d put headphones on her belly. My grandfather played a lot of jazz. In high school I got into more obscure genres such as post punk, shoe gaze, and dream pop.

How long have you been together creating music as a group, how did that all come about?

Float The Witch has been together for almost 2 years. Ben and Brian had previously been in (still active) Philly-based band Cranes Are Flying (check ‘em out!) They along with drummer Mark Ludas (formerly of experimental rock band Rocket Surgery) started the band. We met vocalist Carmelina was recruited through mutual friends. Mark eventually left, and was replaced by Anthony almost exactly a year ago. A whole bunch of shows and an EP later, and that pretty much brings us up to speed!

What would be the goal for you as a group, is there a dream to play anywhere or sell however many albums?

As of right now, our goal is to grow as a band, be constantly improving our live show as well as our songwriting, and do whatever we can do to reach more listeners. We are more concerned with the immediate future, play bigger and better shows, get more fans, and release another EP in 2013. It’s coming!

Is there anything coming up that we can know about?

We have a couple of shows lined up:

12/21/12 Doomsday party @ The Blue Room in Secaucus, New Jersey

1/19/13 @ Lit Lounge in NYC

2/2/13 @ The Lampost in Jersey City,New Jersey

3/2/13 @ Tierney’s Tavern in Montclair NJ. Other than that, see above!

Have the songs on your latest EP been in working progress since you started the band or have they come along as you have been playing together?

All 4 songs on the EP have been written recently. We still play 1 or 2 songs from our “earlier days” at shows, but as I said earlier, we are constantly improving so newer material will always be favored over older material. Every song can be looked at as a work in progress, nothing is ever done, everything can always be better.

Finally, throughout history, music has always been present. When in music history would you go back to and why?

Ant – Mozart, he was the Michael Jackson of his time. But seriously, I would like to visit the be-bop era.

Ben – I wanna be a denim-vest wearing headbanger in Los Angeles in 1989

Carmelina – I’d probably go back to the early 90’s grunge era

Brian – I’d go back to the 80’s during the resurgence of roots reggae and post punk.

I'd like to thank Float The Witch for this fantastic interview! You all have to give them a listen at least once and I promise, once will be enough to fall in love!